


I'm Already Who I Want To Be Tomorrow (Who I Want To Be Tomorrow Is Who I Am)

by eruditeprincess



Series: So Many Powers, So Many Earths [2]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Clarke is Supergirl, F/M, Slow Burn, Supergirl au, jfc just get together already, like 9.5k of slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 13:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11898876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eruditeprincess/pseuds/eruditeprincess
Summary: She had never expected to become a superhero. Then again, she'd never expected to meet him either, or be Ark City's darling, but life is weird.Title from Future Me by Echosmith





	I'm Already Who I Want To Be Tomorrow (Who I Want To Be Tomorrow Is Who I Am)

**Author's Note:**

> Holy stars this is long. I can't believe it either.
> 
> This has been my baby for the past month or so, and has been a labour of love, hate and general 'I like superheroes'. Yes, this is based off of Supergirl (the 2015 TV series) and only series 1, as I barely watched series 2.
> 
> Lots of waffle here - you have been warned. It may not even be very good, but it's long.
> 
> For anyone curious, I got into university to study what I want to study. Obviously, this will affect my writing stuff, but I plan to keep this up. You guys aren't rid of me yet.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated in this endeavour. I wish I could say I hate to let this go, but let's be real, after about 10k words, anyone would be glad to let this go.
> 
> I don't own anything. Tumblr is erudite-princess. I hope all who go into this story enjoy it. This is about as slow-burn as I could go. Enjoy!

Ever since she’d left Krypton at only 11, she’d always felt like she was a stranger on Earth. Even years after she’d landed, years after she’d come to terms with the powers the yellow sun of Earth gave her, she felt hopelessly like she was a stranger, an imposter, to Earth. The family who had taken her in, the Griffins, had always made her feel at home with them, their other foster daughter, Raven, making her feel like she belonged, but she still felt a disconnect between her and them.

 

Then the whole city, no, _the whole fucking world_ found out about her powers, and all manner of hell broke loose.

 

The day she revealed her powers to the world started as it always did, impatiently standing in line for her boss’ peppermint latte, knowing that once she received it and the warm pastries her boss consumed like they were the last food on Earth, she had to make the five point four minute journey to the office or else be late. In Diana Sydney’s office, you were on time or you were fired. She made it through the double doors one minute before she knew Sydney would be demanding coffee, smiling brightly at the guard who let her through. The elevator ride up to the office was excruciatingly slow, and she barrelled through the doors as soon as they pinged. She plastered her early-morning smile onto her face and reached her desk as Diana Sydney strutted through the doors from her personal elevator. She handed over the latte and the bag of pastries, bracing as Diana took a sip.

“ _Clara_!” Diana screeched, whirling around.

“It’s Clarke,” she quietly replied as Diana continued on her tirade.

“This latte is colder than it should be, which either means I’m late, or, more likely, you dawdled and let this go cold. Which was it?” Clarke opened her mouth to respond but was cut off with a, “Oh wait, I don’t care. At least you got _something_ right,” Diana continued, reaching into the pastry bag.

“Will you be needing anything else this morning, Ms Sydney?” Clarke prayed her voice stayed smooth as she spoke, adjusting her glasses.

“Not for now. Don’t stray too far though; it is a busy news day after all,” with that, Diana Sydney spun on her heel and walked into her office. Clarke turned around to see Wells at his desk, holding out a to-go cup and a small bag, both emblazoned with logos from her favourite coffee shop. She smelled chocolate emanating from the to-go cup, and groaned.

“Wells Jaha, you are an angel on Earth,” she sighed as he handed over the cup, leaving the bag on her desk. She took a sip and almost moaned as the warm drink hit her tongue. She saw him smile out of the corner of her eye, a fond look in his eye, and settled down at her desk, pushing her glasses up her nose and bracing herself for whatever she’d face that day.

 

When she got back to her apartment that evening, she collapsed onto her couch, groaning. She’d been running around the entire Sydney Media building trying to locate what felt like 1001 different items, picking up everything from art concepts to Diana’s lunch, which one of the security people had gone out and fetched on her break to save Clarke a job. She adjusted herself and found her remote digging into her back, and she grabbed it and switched the TV on. She let the news drone on in the background, toeing off her heels. She stretched out and found her bag, retrieving her phone to see a blinking light. She clicked the screen on and grinned at the text on her screen.

Raven: _At the airport safely, will text when I land x see you in a week_

Her sister never failed to check in with her before a flight. It had taken Clarke a year after she’d landed on Earth to become used to the sight of the strange contraptions that flew across the sky over the house, and she was constantly terrified that one would fall out of the sky. Even years later, she always asked for someone she knew going on a plane to text when they arrived at the airport and when they landed, to make sure the plane didn’t crash. It always seemed irrational but she felt happier when she saw the text. She sent back an acknowledgement and clicked off her phone, before laying back. She half-listened to the headlines being read out, before the breaking news music blared out of the TV. She opened her eyes and listened with growing dread as the newsreader announced _Flight NA1928 has lost contact with the radio- and now it is seen and is heading towards the river, more information_ _is coming in as I speak_ … and Clarke felt a shudder of dread run through her.

 

Her sister was on that plane, plummeting towards a watery grave. She couldn’t let that happen.

 

When she first landed and began discovering her powers, she discovered she could fly. She felt invincible as she climbed up to the roof of the house and leaped off, amazing Raven as she soared through the air. Jake caught her when he went out for a break, and called her down. She wasn’t allowed to fly after that day. She wasn’t sure if she still knew how to access her powers, after repressing them for so long, with the help of the glasses she wore. She just had to hope.

 

The first attempt to fly failed, and she was glad that she only fell on her floor and not the pavement. She sighed, rubbing her temples. Her glasses lay on the coffee table, the glass of the frames reflecting the light above her. She tried again, managing to propel herself across the room with more ease. After a short practice, she brought herself back to the ground and went out onto her balcony, bracing for impact with the pavement if it didn’t work. She closed her eyes, and within a moment of stepping off of the railing of the balcony, she was hovering in the air. She laughed, before remembering where she needed to go. She flew as quickly as she could, soaring over the streets of Ark City in search of the plane. She found it as it got closer to the bridge, and willed herself to fly faster. She reached one of the wings in time to be able to grip, and found herself begin to steer the plane sideways to try to avoid the bridge. She winced as the tip of the plane’s wing hit the tarmac of the road, leaving an indentation, but focused on the task at hand: bringing about a safe landing. She steered the wing back around, and tried to pull the plane to a slower speed, before eventually bringing it safely to a stop. Her hair was soaking wet and her clothes felt uncomfortably stuck to her skin as the adrenaline from the experience wore off. She saw the coastguard pulling closer to the plane, and as she climbed onto the wing to check through the window, she saw the face of her sister through the glass, safe and sound. That was enough to keep her, before she flew off, back to her own apartment.

 

“What the fuck were you thinking?” cried Raven as she burst into Clarke’s apartment. Clarke turned around, towel balancing precariously on her head. Raven strode over to her and engulfed her in a hug, before pulling back.

“I thought you’d be proud of me,” her voice felt small, and Raven’s face softened.

“Your powers are out in the open now, Clarke. People can come after you now,” Raven spoke in a softer tone than she had done.

“I know, but I had to save you and all those people. If you were me, you’d’ve done the exact same thing.”

“But you’re out in the open. You’re exposed because of this.”

“What should I have done? Not helped? Like I haven’t been able to for so many years? I can handle myself, Raven. And look,” she gestured towards the screen, before pulling a pillow up to her chest and squeezing it, “Nobody recognises me. They don’t know that Clarke Griffin, assistant to Diana Sydney, helped them. They know somebody did.”

“Somebody with powers, Clarke. How can you explain that?”

“Look, Raven, I’ve had a tiring night, and so have you, so why don’t we just resume this some other time?” she questioned, and Raven sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.

“You’ll go to bed whatever I say, so yeah, see you later. Get some rest. Don’t get yourself into trouble, Clarke. There’s a shitstorm coming your way.”

 

Clarke got up the next morning cheerfully, revelling in the feelings lingering from her heroics the previous night. She practically bounced into the office, and collided with a body. She managed to stop the latte from falling from her hand, but the pastries dropped. The stranger and her bent down at the same time, touching the bag. Apologies fell from her lips, and it was only when their fingers touched for a second that she looked up. Brown eyes met blue, and she quickly glanced down again, struggling to keep eye contact and ignoring the tug she felt towards him in her gut. She stood up, and the man handed her the pastries, their fingers brushing with a slight shock as they touched, just as Diana walked in.

“Oh, Cara, I see you’ve met our new art director. My office, now, both of you,” Clarke scrambled as the man bit his lip, following Diana. Clarke followed quickly behind, eternally cursing the heels she was wearing.

 

“Clarice, this is Bellamy Blake,” Diana introduced the man to her, and they quickly made eye contact before dropping it again, “you will be collecting the mock-ups for the front covers from him, and only him. Not Dax on sixth. Bellamy has kindly agreed to join us from the Daily Planet as we,” Diana exhaled dramatically, and Clarke almost rolled her eyes, “have a superheroine in our little city. Supergirl.”

“Supergirl?” Clarke questioned, and Bellamy cocked his head.

“Yes, Supergirl. My name, of course. She saved that plane last night? Anyway, we need to be the first to report her, the first to claim her. I already know Kane will be trying to brand her as we speak, and time is money, people. We brand Supergirl, she is tied to Sydney Media, and everyone has that connection. Wesley!” Diana shouted through to the office, and Wells walked in, “Get it so that news goes out now about Supergirl. We need to claim her, fast,” Wells nodded and almost scurried back to his desk, glad to not have been there longer. Diana could be intimidating. Bellamy walked out behind him at Diana’s nod, but Clarke stood there.

“Supergirl, Ms Sydney? We can’t name her that!”

“We didn’t, Kiera. I did.”

“Why not, I don’t know, Superwoman? Why Supergirl?”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of that disgusting shoe-dress combo.”

“Why is she girl and not woman? Isn’t that less than what she is? Isn’t she the hero?”

“I’m the hero, darling. I named her and she’s forever connected to this company, to _me_. What’s wrong with being _girl_? I’m a girl, and your boss, and intelligent, rich, powerful and beautiful. I’m excellent, and a girl. If you see Supergirl as anything less than amazing, then isn’t the problem you?”

“Yes, of course, I was just wondering. Sorry Ms Sydney,” with that she backed out of the office, leaving Diana to sip her coffee and consider the day’s news.

 

She slumped down at her desk, head in her hands. Wells’ chair slid over to her, and he tapped her arm. She looked up to see him, and sighed.

“Dealing with Sydney is exhausting, huh? But at least she’s now caught up with this Supergirl business, and you’re not.”

“I just need a break, Wells. Any time away from Sydney would be good at this point,” she reasoned, and he grinned.

“Meet me on the roof in ten minutes,” he whispered, before wheeling back over to his desk.

 

She walked up the steps leading up to the roof, revelling in how the tension seemed to melt away from her shoulders as she got further and further away from Sydney. Bellamy had spotted her when she slipped away from her desk, and he’d given her a small smile when she spotted him, so she presumed he wouldn’t let Sydney get angry at her. She pushed open the door that opened out onto the roof, the sun seeming to reflect off of the white paint of the helipad. She winced, squinting until her eyes could adjust to the onslaught of light on the roof. Wells stood at one end of the roof, smiling over at her, and she went to join him.

“Ihavetotellyousomething,” they both blurted out at the same time, before bursting into laughter.

“You first,” Clarke said, and Wells’ hands shook slightly as he began to speak.

“You know that I like you, right Clarke?”

“Of course you do – we’re friends,” she smiled encouragingly at him, and he shook his head.

“Yeah, uh, I kinda like you in the dating way,” Clarke pressed her lips together as he spoke and his face fell at her expression, “but I guess you don’t like me that way.”

“No,” she confirmed, and his face seemed to fall even further, “but that doesn’t mean that someone else doesn’t like you, Wells. You’re an amazing guy, Wells, and I’m sure that you’ll like someone and they’ll like you back. That someone isn’t me, though.”

“Alright,” Wells seemed to straighten up, pasting a smile on his face, but she could tell he was hurt, “What’s your news? Are you getting back together with your ex-girlfriend? You remember how we saw her in the mall the other day. It’s plausible. Ooh, are you moving jobs?”

“No. You know how the whole office is talking about Supergirl? What if I told you _I_ was Supergirl?”

“No offense Clarke,” Wells let out a small scoff, and she reddened, “but you don’t seem like the type of person to be a superheroine.”

“Well why don’t I show you then?” she questioned, indignant that her friend was doubting her.

“Sure,” Wells said, but he looked slightly sick as she got up on the ledge of the roof. She willed herself to fall backwards off the roof, before she felt herself begin to float, and propelled herself up. Wells seemed caught between a scream and silence as she flew above him, the hem of her dress fluttering in the wind.

“Believe me now?” she questioned, and Wells gaped as she made a soft landing on the gravel next to him.

“Yeah. But if you’re going to do any heroics in your spare time, you need a costume. No need to ruin your clothing,” he reasoned, and she beamed.

 

As she made her way back down to her desk, she bumped into Bellamy. She had an apology ready on her tongue when he spoke.

“A romantic rendezvous in office hours with a certain Jaha?” he teased, with what seemed like a slight tinge of sadness in his voice, and she tensed.

“It wasn’t romantic. We both needed some air,” she protested, and he chuckled softly, relaxing visibly.

“Don’t worry, I covered for you. Said I sent you on an errand when Sydney asked where you were. I never got your name when we were in the office, by the way.”

“Clarke. Clarke Griffin. You might have known my cousin, Clark, back at the Daily Planet? My aunt and mother thought it’d be cute to name me after him, but it’s confusing for everyone.”

“Yeah, I knew Clark,” Bellamy said, “Talented writer. He told me you’d be here, actually.”  
“Really? I didn’t hear about you from him,” she bit her bottom lip, and he was cut off from replying by the scream of _Clarissa!_ coming from Sydney’s office.

“You’d best-”  
“Go, I know. Nice meeting you, Bellamy.”  
“You too, Clarke,” she began walking as quickly as she could towards the office, not noticing that Bellamy had stopped in his tracks, staring after her. He shook his head, murmuring “Creep,” to himself, before heading back to his office.

 

The rest of Clarke’s day was similar to how it normally was, and she fought the urge to fall into her bed at the end of the day, preparing herself a large coffee to try to stay awake. It had just finished brewing when there was a knock on the door. Wells walked in as soon as he’d greeted her, clutching a large pile of fabric in his arms. He laid the pile on her coffee table as she went back to the kitchen and picked up her coffee, sipping at it in a bid to stay awake. Wells let her finish the coffee as he chattered happily about the colour scheme he went for and how he’d added a cape because _I don’t care what Edna Mode says about capes, Clarke, they’re cool and going on your outfit,_ and she just hummed her approval through mouthfuls of coffee, before she found her mug empty and Wells staring at her expectantly. She’d given him her measurements earlier in the day, but wasn’t expecting outfits made by the evening. She expressed that to Wells, and he bashfully looked down at the floor, before murmuring something about _I may have claimed I was sick this afternoon_. She rolled her eyes, before grabbing the first three outfits off the pile. She put the first on, before immediately groaning.

“I’m not wearing this, Wells. It’s practically a bikini, and it’s way too cold when flying to wear a bikini,” she shouted through to the sitting room.

“It was a first attempt, okay?”

The second outfit covered up some more, but she felt uncomfortable in it, so she threw it down and picked up the third. That made her sigh too, so she shouted through for more outfits to be brought through. Wells dutifully dropped the pile of clothes outside her bedroom door, and she brought them in. The fifth outfit eventually turned out to be _the_ outfit, as she walked out into the living room to show Wells. He proudly smiled as she twirled around in her costume, the cape fluttering out behind her.

“What were you thinking with the other ones?” she asked him, and he pressed his lips together.

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted, and used comic books as inspiration for some of the earlier ones. I should’ve realised that those weren’t right. I’m sorry.”  
“It’s fine, Wells.”  
“Do you mind me asking how it is you’re a superheroine? Were you, like, bitten by a radioactive spider or some shit like that?”  
“No. I guess I’d better tell you the story of my home planet, Krypton,” she said, and launched into the story.

 

She hadn’t told the story in years, but telling it then brought tears to her eyes as she remembered her childhood with her mother and, for a time, father. She told Wells about how she’d escaped the destruction of Krypton, tasked with looking after her baby cousin. He made it to Earth before her, as she got stuck in the Phantom Zone. When Clark was all grown up, she was still 11, and the pod she was in finally made it to Earth when Clark was 20. Clark placed her with the Griffins, who had already adopted a daughter a few years prior to Clarke’s arrival on Earth. Clarke became their second adoptive daughter, and had to hide the powers the sun had given her. Wells looked close to tears himself as she recounted not fitting in at school and feeling overwhelmed by everything when the Griffin parents didn’t know how to control her powers. She explained that she’d been on Earth for close to eleven years with powers she had only just revealed to the world, and as she remembered the life she’d abandoned on Krypton for Earth, she wept. Wells pulled her into an embrace and held her there until the tears subsided, and she wiped her face, thanking him in a watery voice. He went and collected the discarded costumes, before asking for the one she’d chosen back, promising that it would be adjusted to be perfect for her.

 

The rest of her week passed in a blur of work and sleep. She talked more to Bellamy, and he gave her his phone number, _just in case_ , he’d said. She’d admired the print of Superman he had in his office, a gorgeous aerial shot. When she’d asked him about it, he mentioned that it was his favourite picture he’d taken. She supposed it would make sense, his favourite picture he’d taken being the one that won him the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. His eyes shone as he spoke about the picture, and she felt the more familiar tug in her gut towards him. She’d spoken to Wells little since their costume meet-up at her apartment, but on Thursday morning had a brown parcel handed to her by Wells. She snuck a peek to see her costume inside, and carefully positioned it under her desk so nobody could see it. She had a break that weekend, as Sydney had been flown to the Bahamas for a retreat that nobody could fathom her attendance of. However, it did mean that Raven could come over and she and Clarke could have a girls’ weekend. She had been excited until her phone buzzed on Friday night, as she was microwaving popcorn. The text from Wells seemed urgent, reading _Robbery on 14 th, bank._ She cursed and sent a quick text to Raven, telling her she wasn’t feeling great and didn’t need company, before donning her new costume and flying off.

 

She successfully averted the robbery, and it was only when she landed back in her apartment that she realised the adjustment Wells had done to her suit: he had sewn on her family crest to the chest. She smiled and fired off a text to him that simply read _thank you_ , before checking her other messages. Bellamy had sent her one, questioning **_who’s the better superhero: superman or supergirl? Need to settle argument with sister._**

_Supergirl, obvs_ , she responded, and she put her phone down to go and get changed. When she returned, she saw a blinking light at the top of her screen. The screen of the phone flickered on to show her the response.

**_That’s what I said! Sister says superman hotter though. Still prefer supergirl though._ **

_Why?_ Clarke found herself responding, and Bellamy shot back quickly.

**_She seems like she’s doing it for the greater good._ **

_And Superman isn’t?_

**_He is. She’s also pretty._ **

_Really?_ Clarke was about to click send when a call flashed up on the screen. Raven’s grinning contact photo flashed up at her, and she hit _answer_. “Hi!”

“What were you doing?”  
“What do you mean?” she tried to make her voice as innocent as possible, but Raven saw right through it.

“You know what. The bank robbery mysteriously stopped by Supergirl just as the police arrived. I thought I told you to stay out of trouble?”

“I couldn’t not do anything! Plus Wells agreed to help with the whole superheroine thing. I feel good when I help people, better than I do at work!”

“You have to be careful, Clarke! There are people who can deal with anything that happens in the city, not you!”  
“Says the woman who doesn’t know how it feels to help others, save lives in this way. I want to _help_ , Raven,” Raven’s voice grew stony as Clarke spoke, and she began to regret what she said.

“You have no fucking idea the amount I do to help people in my job, Clarke. You underestimate me, and you underestimate exactly what I know. I may just be an mechanic, like dad, but you have no idea of the people I work with and the lengths we go to in order to help people, so I’d recommend you get off your high horse and leave the saving of Ark City to those who know what they’re doing,” with that, she heard Raven sigh, “look, I have to go. Work emergency. We’ll have that girls’ weekend another time. Talk soon,” Raven hung up, and Clarke pulled her phone away from her ear to see a message on the screen, below Bellamy’s old one.

**_You alright?_** Bellamy had written, and she texted back.

_Fight w sis._

**_I know the feeling. Want to talk about it?_ **

_Coffee tomorrow @ Grounders?_

**_11?_ **

_Sure_

**_See you there_** , he wrote back, and she pursed her lips as she set an alarm on her phone.

 

When she got to Grounders the next day, he had already claimed a corner booth and was nursing his own hot drink. She got in line for the counter, glancing over at him every few seconds, but he was focused on his phone. The barista at the counter coughed, and she turned to face him.

“Can I get a hot chocolate please, with a raspberry muffin?”

“Eat in or take away?” the barista, _Miller_ , his name tag read, asked, and she smiled at him.

“In, please,” she waited at the side as he prepared her tray, looking over at the small booth Bellamy had positioned himself in. She thanked Miller when the hot chocolate was deposited on the tray, before slowly weaving her way through the throng waiting to be served towards the table. Bellamy looked up as she came over, and his face seemed to light up. He was wearing glasses, something he didn’t wear at work, she noted, and a well-fitting pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She knew he was handsome, and had felt a tug in her gut towards him when she first met him, but seeing him at ease at a weekend, out of the stuffy suits she’d seen him in that week, she felt a warm feeling in her heart. She placed her tray down, and settled herself across from him as she slowly removed the muffin and drink from the tray, careful not to tip either. He took another sip of his drink.

“What happened?” he asked, “Between you and your sister, I mean.”  
“We had an argument over something I was doing. She thinks I’m being silly.”  
“Why?”

“I was defending Supergirl’s actions. My sister thinks that Supergirl isn’t experienced enough to solve problems in the city, and I asked her what she’d done to help the city. I said stupid stuff that made her upset and understandably angry, and I just feel annoyed.”

“Do you often have fights with her?”

“Not now. When the Griffins first adopted me, she and I used to fight like there was nothing else we could do. I think then she was scared that the Griffins would love her less as they had another daughter. It wasn’t true, of course, but I was the imposter, the new child, the special one. Now, we have each other’s backs. We don’t fight as often, mainly because we see it as us against the world.”

“You’re adopted?”

“My parents died at the same time as Clark’s did. He was older than me and trusted the Griffins to look after me. He was already living with the Kent family as he had ended up in the… system early.”

“I knew Clark’s history, I just didn’t know that you’d been adopted,” she bit her lip, unsure of how much Bellamy knew of Clark’s history, before he cut through her thoughts, “relax, I know he’s,” Bellamy looked around to see who was listening before leaning in and lowering his voice, “Superman.”

“Alright,” he must have seen her confusion, as he clarified.

“How do you think I got that good a picture of Superman? He loves posing for pictures,” Bellamy chuckled, and she smiled.

“He never told me you knew. I just thought Lois knew.”

“Lois and I both know. He needed people who could cover for him.”

“So why are you here and not over in Metropolis?” she questioned, and he bit his lip.

“Clark may have found out about your, y’know, big reveal and sentmeheretokeepaneyeonyou?” she vaguely heard his last sentence, and he repeated it out loud. Her face turned stony.

“So you talk to me because Clark told you to?” she was careful to keep her voice down but the anger in her statement was clear.

“No, no, no, Clarke, I talk to you because I want to. Clark told me to keep an eye on you, not to become best friends with you to keep an eye on you. Trying to be friends was my decision. I want to be your friend, Clarke, please,” he pleaded, and his voice seemed earnest. She shook her head, and Bellamy frowned.

“I need to talk to Clark about this. I can’t believe he’d send me a handpicked childminder, y’know, instead of trusting me,” she took a gulp of her drink and began breaking the muffin apart, placing small pieces in her mouth. After a few minutes, the silence between them became deafening, and she turned to him, saying, “Tell me about your sister.”

Bellamy’s face brightened immensely at the mention of his sister, and he enthused about her. She felt a smile overcome her features as he spoke, his enthusiasm infectious. He had a natural gift for storytelling, she noticed, as he told her about his sister, pausing at points for dramatic effect. She found herself hanging onto his every word, leaning forward during moments when his voice was quieter. She ate her muffin as he spoke, her eyes on him the entire time. When he eventually stopped speaking, she found herself shocked back into reality. After hearing him talk for so long, the café sounded really quiet in comparison. He took a large swallow of his drink, and the silence that fell between them felt more comfortable than before.

 

They progressed to an art gallery after their drinks were drained in the café. She delighted in taking him around the gallery, and it was when they reached the Roman and Greek sections that Bellamy came into his own. By the end of their day together, Clarke felt like she could call Bellamy a friend. The tug in her gut had intensified, and more than once she had caught him looking at her with a fond expression. He asked her if she wanted to go out again the next week, and she enthusiastically agreed, making him smile as brightly as the sun.

 

Unfortunately, something got in the way of their plans the next week. She was really annoyed, as she’d been looking forward to meeting with Bellamy, but, as she’d recount to him via text when she’d dispatched them, one of the aliens who had been locked up by her mother on Krypton had managed to escape from Fort Eligius and find Clarke as she’d walked out of her apartment. It was easy enough to dispatch as Clarke had discovered her heat vision and managed to set fire to the creature. Even more unfortunately, Clarke found out exactly what her sister did as a job.

 

As soon as Raven found out what had happened, she was pissed. She hugged Clarke tightly, and then Clarke realised what Raven had meant by _I help people_. Turned out Raven wasn’t just a mechanic at a security company, she was a mechanic for a secret section of the government that dealt with extra-terrestrial affairs. Raven described it to her during the drive to the headquarters, and Clarke felt slightly overwhelmed by the entire business. When she entered the cave they called their base of operations, she was overcome by the sight of the pod she’d flown to Earth in, all those years before. She wished she could take a photo to show Wells or even Bellamy, wished she could caption the text with something cringe-worthy such as _#tbt that time I flew to Earth in a silver peapod_ , but she was whisked away through the cavernous tunnels to a room that felt almost lab-like, with gleaming white walls and a shiny metal table in the middle. The only thing that kept her from tensing at the sight was her sister at her back, but even Raven looked alien, her shiny dark hair pulled away from her face in a smooth ponytail, her clothing dark and military looking. A man walked in behind Raven, but swiftly came around the pair and the table to face Clarke. He seemed surprisingly young for the position he seemed to hold, as she felt Raven stiffen in his presence.

“Welcome to the DEO – the Department for Extranormal Operations. As you may realise, we aren’t exactly public. Charles Pike,” he stuck out a hand, and Clarke shook it, “I’m the head of this organisation.”  
“You must’ve worked hard for this position.”  
“Of course. Raven, I need to talk to your sister for a moment,” _privately_ seemed to be the implication. Clarke turned to see Raven blanching at the idea of leaving, but after a small head movement from Pike, she left, but not before taking Clarke’s hand and squeezing it in hers.

“What do you need, sir?”

“We’ve been monitoring you ever since your powers emerged, back when you first landed, Miss Griffin. Or maybe would you prefer to be called Miss Zor-El?”  
“Griffin is fine, sir,” she felt an anxious knot begin to form in her stomach at the mention of her birth name, especially coming from a stranger.

“As I said, we have been monitoring you, to ensure you came to no trouble. You appeared back on our radar thanks to your plane rescue. Thank you for that; we had multiple agents aboard that plane and you managed to save their lives. Obviously, after that occurred, we noticed a spike in extranormal activity. Fort Eligius came down at the same time as your pod did, and so we have been aware that the prisoners held there are roaming Earth, but this is the first time they have begun converging on a metropolitan area.”  
“Why do you have me here, though? I could defeat one, but I’m not sure about more,” the anxious knot in her stomach grew.

“Your abilities seem to assist with defeating them. We don’t know the full extent of your powers just yet, so we want to bring you into the DEO. You can help us to defeat those that wish us harm,” Pike implored. She nodded, and he smiled widely. The knot of anxiety as to what she’d just agreed to tightened further.

 

“So you’re part of us now?” Raven accosted her as she walked out of the room, and she nodded. Raven’s grin at that revelation could light up a room. She smiled, if only because her sister’s smile was so infectious, and watched as Raven practically bounced with joy over to her desk, littered with scraps of mental and glowing orbs. She listened to the frantic thrum of the cortex of the DEO headquarters, trying to tune out her sonic hearing pinpointing multiple different voices across the room, overwhelming her just as much as it did the first time it happened. Raven bounded back over to her, pressing a phone into her palm.

“We’ll use this phone to contact you when we need you. Pike says you can leave now, if you like,” Clarke gratefully took the opportunity to leave, navigating the labyrinthine caves until she found the exit. When she emerged, she found herself in the middle of the desert, 50 miles south of Ark City. She didn’t seem to remember that part on the way in, which made her mind run, but she reasoned that she had been tired when she’d finished her battle, so maybe that was why.

 

She flew back to her apartment as high in the sky as she could manage, as to not attract attention from the passers-by on the streets below. Ever since Sydney’s triumphant branding and livestream declaring her support for Supergirl, the rest of Ark City seemed to swiftly follow in their enthusiastic devotion to their resident superheroine. She was generally on every news network when she intervened in a situation, but one thing that no news station had managed to get from Ark City’s superheroine was an interview. Clarke knew Sydney would be grasping for an interview from Supergirl after the defeat of the first alien invader to Ark City. However, at that point in time, as she flew home from the DEO’s base, Clarke just wanted to be able to relax. She didn’t want to be in her Supergirl suit and be applauded as she helped out. She wanted to be curled up with a glass of wine and watch shitty dramas on her couch and not wonder if another adversary was going to break her door down for a fight with Supergirl.

 

When she got back to her apartment, she checked her phone to find a missed call from Bellamy. She changed out of her costume into leggings and a camisole, collapsing into the enticing cushions of her couch as she hit _call_.

“Hey,” she hoped her voice was bright as he picked up.

“Clarke, hey. You okay?”  
“Sorry about earlier,” she blurted out, and he chuckled on the other end of the line, “I had emergency Supergirl business to attend to and then my sister showed up wanting to talk and-”

“Clarke, relax,” his voice was softer, gentler, than before, and she felt the anxious knot in her stomach loosening, “I get it. I just wanted to make sure you were still in one piece.”  
“I’m fine. Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she chirped, and winced at the fakeness dripping from her voice. Bellamy seemed to pick up on it.

“You sure?”

“Yep!” _Don’t pick up on anything wrong, I’ll be fine,_ she thought.

“If you’re sure,” he responded, and she heard a hint of uncertainty wobbling in his voice.

“I’m sure. So, what’d you do today?”

“Not much. Watched Netflix, had a nap, worked on an upcoming article Diana asked me to do.”  
“Has she mentioned anything about Supergirl yet?”

“Not yet, but inevitably-”

“She will.”

“Yeah. But we’ve got a whole weekend before she’s going to say anything, right?”

“Yeah. Otherwise she’d be screaming down the phone at you about layouts.”  
“I know! But, she’s not, so, do you want to have dinner?”

“What?” her mind was running at a million miles a minute, processing the question and all possibilities of what Bellamy meant.

“I mean, I don’t know if you’ve gotten around to eating yet, but I was about to order Chinese and wondered if you wanted any? I mean, if you don’t, that’s fine. I know you were going to talk to Clark and I’m not sure if you’ve spoken to him yet, but I thought-” she cut him off from his nervous rambling.

“I’d love to have dinner with you, Bellamy. Your place or mine? Keep in mind that my place has both beer and wine.”  
“Your place it is then,” he concluded, and she could hear the sigh of relief that she hadn’t turned him down, “I’ll order for your place then? What’s your address?” Clarke provided him with her address, before he hung up with a promise of _see you in ten_.

 

He arrived promptly, immediately making a beeline to the kitchen, Clarke’s fridge stocked with chilled alcohol in his sights. He grabbed the bottle of wine and made his way towards the couch, Clarke reaching into her cupboards to retrieve two glasses. He poured, his hands minutely shaking, before recapping the wine and setting it on the table in front of them. They clinked their glasses together, a silent _cheers_ , before taking a sip. Bellamy broke the silence between them.

“What do you like to do when you don’t have to be a superheroine?”

“I like to do lots of stuff. I like to draw.”  
“What do you like to draw?”

“Krypton, mostly. My parents – biological, not adopted – and family. Memories of my childhood. People, sometimes, when I’m really bored. I studied Art at college, but finding jobs was hard. Eventually my sister relocated here and I moved in with her. I went for a job at Sydney Media, and here I am today. I still try to practice my art in case I can ever make use of it. I thought it might be valuable one day.”

“It will be. It’s good you remember so much about Krypton and can have a picture of it.”

“I’m luckier than Clark. He never had the chance to remember.”

“I guess. Clark never really talked about it. I don’t think he ever begrudged you for remembering.”

“I know, but… I just feel bad. He should’ve had the chance to remember home,” she felt her voice begin to thicken with tears at the injustice of it all, and tried to swallow the growing lump in her throat. A knock at the door stopped him from responding, and he jumped up, accepting the food from the harried delivery girl, who took the money from his hand and took off down the hall. Clarke got up to grab plates and bowls from her cupboards, not seeing how Bellamy stared as she stretched up on her tiptoes, her camisole riding up.

 

They ate their food and talked into the late night about everything and anything, Bellamy’s arm eventually working around to rest on the back of the couch, his fingers dancing on her shoulder, sending tiny _zings_ of energy shooting up her arm. She’d pulled a blanket around them at some point in the night, and felt herself slowly getting tired, trying to yawn inconspicuously as to not attract Bellamy’s attention. After one particularly long yawn, however, Bellamy let out a gentle huff.

“Time for bed, Sleeping Beauty,” he bent to whisper in her ear, and she leaned into his warmth.

“Five more minutes, then bed,” she protested, before yawning again. She felt her eyes beginning to shut, and groaned.

“But then you’ll fall asleep on the couch and ache in the morning, and then you’ll complain to me about it.”

“How do you know I’d complain to you?” sleepiness was taking over her body, but she still managed to fight off sleep to protest his claims.

“Because your sister would give you no sympathy and your other friends don’t need to know you fell asleep on your couch whilst I was around,” his head dipped to fix his stare with hers, raising his eyebrows. She sighed, conceding defeat, and tried to stand up, dragging the blanket with her. Her legs protested from an extended lack of movement, and she ended up collapsing back down on the couch, confused. Bellamy bit his lip as she tried to stand up again, before falling back down. He extended his arm to her, letting her grasp it as they both stood up. The blanket got tangled around her feet, so he helped her untangle, before she led him to her bedroom. He tried not to stare at the makeup scattered across her vanity or the overflowing laundry basket, instead focusing on leading Clarke to the bed. Her head hit the pillow and she let out a contented sigh, before turning her head to look up at the still standing Bellamy.

“Stay over,” she murmured, and his brow furrowed, before he folded his arms.

“On the couch? Unless you have a spare room?” Clarke shook her head at his protestations.

“No,” she had a sudden burst of confidence, “here, with me.”

“Are you sure?” his voice shook, and she reached out a hand to grasp his wrist, pulling him down next to her. He settled into the duvet immediately, toeing his shoes off as she pulled him further down.

“I’m sure,” she responded, before giving in to the warm embrace of her blankets, Bellamy at her side, his arm going around her.

 

She woke up to find a warm body behind her, an arm slung around her waist, fingers touching the tiny sliver of skin exposed by her ridden-up camisole. She leaned backwards into the embrace, still in the warm confusion of waking up, before the body behind her moved, the head coming to rest on her shoulder. She placed her hands atop the hands secured around her waist, before letting the gentle breathing of the man behind her lull her back to sleep.

 

When she next woke up, it was to a whispered _holy shit_ coming from the doorway of her room. She was immediately more alert, carefully pulling herself out of Bellamy’s arms, ignoring the tiny movement his arms made to follow her. She turned to see Raven standing in the doorway, peeking in through a tiny crack in the door. She hopped off the bed, creeping round the bed to open the door, ushering Raven away. She padded through to the kitchen, hissing at the cold kitchen tiles on her bare feet, before starting up the coffee machine. She turned back around to see her sister bouncing on the balls of her feet, and let Raven talk.

“So, this is the first time I’ve come to your apartment to find you in bed with a boy. There was that time I walked in on you and Lexa, but that is heavily repressed in my mind. Thank the stars you were fully clothed this time, but I digress. Who is that tall curly haired Adonis currently residing in your bed? Because hot damn, sis, I didn’t expect him there.”

Clarke sighed heavily before responding, “His name is Bellamy. He’s the art director at work. He knows Clark, and Clark’s little secret, so he knows mine too. He came over last night. We’ve been chatting, gone for coffee a few times. No big deal,” Raven’s eyes widened, almost comically, at her confession.

“Gone for coffee a few times? And now he’s in your bed? You move quickly.”  
“Nothing has happened between us!” she protested, a little too loudly, as her bedroom door creaked open and Bellamy came out, searching for his bag. He pulled out a pair of worn glasses, before turning to see the two women standing in the kitchen.

“Have I missed something, or?” he questioned, voice rough.

“No, no, don’t worry,” Raven plastered a smile on her face as Bellamy pushed his glasses up his nose, “I just came to see Clarke and happened to find you with her.”  
“I can leave, if you-”

“No!” Clarke said, turning to glare at her sister, “Raven came in uninvited anyway, and I’m just about to make breakfast. I can make a killer scrambled eggs.”

“Killer being the optimal word here,” Raven muttered, and Clarke shot her a death glare, “C’mon sis, both you and I know you can’t cook for shit. Why don’t we all go for breakfast? There’s a great pancake place around the corner.”  
“Okay, okay, I concede defeat. Do you want to join us, Bellamy? I mean, if you have something else to do, that’s cool too, I won’t stop you,” Clarke’s voice trailed off, and she stared at the floor. Raven caught the look Bellamy gave Clarke as her voice got quieter and quieter, and he responded.

“I’d love to go out for breakfast,” he offered, and Clarke looked up, biting her lip.

“You really don’t have to if you don’t want to! I won’t mind if you say no!” _but you will_ , Raven thought, though she bit her tongue. Bellamy smiled.

“I swear to you, Clarke. I’d love to go to breakfast with you and Raven,” his eyes were full of promise, and Clarke gave a small smile.

“Sure. Give me about 20 minutes, and we can go,” she disappeared into her room with a mug of coffee, leaving Raven and Bellamy stood in the kitchen.

 

She emerged from her room fifteen minutes later, pulling her hair up into a ponytail as Raven and Bellamy stood in her kitchen, drinking from mugs and laughing together. She picked up one of her many pairs of glasses from the end table by her armchair, before walking through to meet them.

“Am I presentable for breakfast?” she asked, smiling. She gave a small twirl, her skirt fluttering up slightly as she spun.

“Definitely. Now, c’mon, let’s go, I’m paying,” Raven placed her mug down on the side, before going to pat Clarke’s shoulder and walk to the door. Bellamy seemed frozen at the counter still, looking up at Clarke through his eyelashes whilst trying to look as if he was staring into his mug. Clarke leaned forwards and touched his shoulder, and he looked up at her. She felt a small tug in her heart at the expression on his face. His eyes seemed to hold a peculiar emotion in them, but he stepped back to wash up his mug, shaking his head as if to shake himself out of a daze, and she didn’t hold the thought of what the emotion could be for long.

 

They settled into a booth at the diner, Raven squeezing into the corner while Bellamy and Clarke settled in across from each other. They swiftly ordered, Clarke going for a strawberry and raspberry stack, while Raven chose classic pancakes and Bellamy chose simple pancakes and bacon. Clarke let the familiar smells of the diner, the scent of maple syrup and sweet fruits, wash over her as she sank into the red leather seat of the cushion. She could feel Bellamy watching her out of the corner of his eye, even as he engaged in a lively conversation with Raven that Clarke couldn’t follow, so she just looked around her. She saw couples sharing plates, groups devouring stacks upon stacks of pancakes. She watched the waitresses hurrying around, balancing plates seemingly more effortlessly than plate spinners. She heard the bell above the door _tring_ as a small group of men walked in, their heads down and turned to the side. A waitress approached them, and the entire diner fell silent as, as if in slow motion, the men pulled out guns. She could see an almost imperceptible shake in one of the gunmen’s hands. She pulled up her sleeve to check if she definitely had her suit on, but then berated herself. _Of course I have the suit on_ , she thought, _I wouldn’t go out without it_.

 

She felt as if she changed in an instant, her dress folded next to her and her glasses perfectly folded in front of her. It was then she felt grateful Raven had chosen a booth in the back corner, so she could emerge almost unseen, her cape flickering gently behind her as she walked. She slowly approached the group of gunmen, hands up in the air, and waited until one of the men noticed her. The entire group then turned away from the waitress, who scurried away gratefully, shooting Clarke a look as if to say _good luck_.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Ark City’s new hero princess,” one of the men drawled, his voice dripping with contempt, “What’re you doing at some dump like this? Being a hero too much for you already?”

“Look, I don’t want to hurt you,” she tried to conceal the note of fear in her voice.

“Really, princess? Because that’s exactly what your mother said as she sentenced us to that hellhole of a prison ship. You look so much like her, it’s uncanny. However, unlike with her, we can now kill you. We only came in for a little fun, and we might finally get the head of Allura Zor-El’s daughter on a spike.”

“You don’t have to kill me,” her voice softened, pleading, “My mother is dead, along with the rest of my home planet. You survived, and can try to change.”

“No,” one of the younger men shouted out, startling the leader, “I saw you there. You stood by as she gave us all a hell sentence for stealing documents. You ripped us away from our families. You could’ve stopped her. You’re just as culpable as her.”

“I was a child then. I thought what she was doing was right for my species, for all species. I didn’t know what was going on.”

“Yeah, you’ve never known hardship. You’ve had a pretty cushy life, being practically royalty of Krypton. You’ve never lost everything you ever had-”

“I lost my father to Fort Eligius, after my mother betrayed him and the prisoners killed him for the person he chose to marry! I lost my family as my planet exploded behind me, and I lost the only home I’d ever known! I came here, a strange planet I didn’t know, with knowledge of what had happened, and you don’t think I’ve been impacted in some way by that? You don’t think I lost everything and still managed to get here, today? You don’t think that the entire reason I’m here right now is because I believe in being the change?” she stared the leader in the face, “Now you can choose to believe me, and give me the gun, and choose to be the change for your group, or you can shoot me and see what happens. But then, if anyone dies, you have that on your hands. You’d be a murderer. You’d be a cold-blooded killer, and be a worse person for it,” she implored. She bit her lip, watching the men glance at each other. She held out a hand, holding her breath as she waited for what would happen. The leader whirled back around to her, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the _crack_ of a gunshot to reverberate around the diner. Instead, she felt cool metal being placed into her palm, with _thuds_ as the guns were piled into her hand. She heard cars outside, and let out the breath she was holding. The group of men looked at her, a few shaking with the weight of what they’d done, and she let the adrenaline from the situation rush through her body.

 

Once the DEO had the group in custody and had thanked her for her help in bringing the group in, Clarke felt herself walking back to her seat, her ears ringing with applause from the grateful patrons. She snagged her dress and glasses from the booth as she walked to the bathroom, changing and waiting for a few minutes until other people had gone in and out, before slipping unseen back into the booth. The waitress brought over their order mere seconds later, her hands shaking from what had happened. Clarke recognised her as the waitress who had dealt with the men before Supergirl stepped in, and Clarke checked her purse to see two crisp twenty dollar bills inside. She resolved to leave the staff a hefty tip after she left. The trio in the booth settled into silence as they ate their pancakes, Raven glancing at her every few minutes. When she finished her food, Raven turned to her.

“Those guys could’ve shot you! You’re not bulletproof!” Raven whispered.

“We don’t know that! I had to take a chance,” she insisted, lowering her voice so nobody else could hear her.

“You could’ve gotten yourself injured, or worse, killed,” Bellamy interjected, “You did the right thing, but we could’ve lost you. Your sister could’ve lost you. _I_ could’ve lost you.”

“Why do you care so much? You’ve not protested to what I do before.”

“I haven’t seen you in the field. I didn’t realise how much danger you could be in. Fuck, I’m bad at this, but I really like you. Losing you… it’d be like losing my sister.”

“I’m equivalent to your sister?” she questioned, and he shook his head, his hand going up to run through the already unruly curls, fluffing them up.

“Shit, I didn’t mean… I care about you, Clarke. Probably a lot more than I should at this point. Look, I think maybe we should continue this conversation somewhere else, somewhere where less of Ark City can hear us.”

“Fine,” Clarke stood up, finally fixing her gaze on Raven, “Rae, you coming?”

“Nah. I think you two need to work it out on your own,” Raven raised her eyebrows at Bellamy as she spoke, and Clarke placed the two prepared twenties on the table.

“Here’s a tip for the staff. Feel free to add to it. It’s all I have on me today,” with that, she turned and walked towards the door, Bellamy following after her.

 

They found a park nearby, picking the bench with the least bird shit on to perch on. He sat next to her, his ears slightly flushed.

“Look, what I was saying back at the diner-”

“You’re not good at this, I know. You care about me. You like me. I’m equivalent to your sister. I get it, you think of me as a sister.”

“I don’t, Clarke. Think of you as a sister, I mean. I felt scared I was going to lose you this morning, because even though you’re extraordinary, and you managed to save people, and you stopped those people, I care about you enough to be scared that something will happen to you. I don’t want to lose you because I really like you. Like, like-like you. Like you as more than a friend. I’m saying ‘like’ too much, aren’t I?”

“It’s starting to get a little repetitive,” she said, and he groaned.

“Fucking hell, I’m so shit at this. I mean, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, as we can stay as friends, but I just want to be with you, Clarke. This morning, I woke up to you in my arms, and I want that to be real. I want to be able to kiss you, and worry about where you are but know that you’ll be back with me, and I won’t have wasted my chance. Obviously, if you don’t feel the same, that’s fine, I’ll back off, I don’t-”she cut him off.

“I like you too. So much. And I’d love to wake up to you, and be together, and be able to come back to you instead of just my sister. I mean, I love her, but I think that I’d like someone else to come back to,” she smiled, and he leaned a little closer.

“Would you mind if I kissed you now?” he asked, and she laughed softly, her breath puffing over his face.

“I’d love that, Bellamy,” she responded, and their lips met. His hand went on her arm, and even through the layers of clothing she wore, she felt sparks emanating from his touch. She tried to be as gentle as possible with him, and felt her hands go to rest on his arms. They pulled apart for air after a few moments, before going in for a searing kiss that warmed her through. When they parted once more, she stood up, taking his hand and walking towards her apartment, fingers intertwined. She turned around to see him smiling as they walked along the pavement, hands swinging, and she smiled back at him.

 

Ever since she’d left Krypton at age 11, she’d always felt like she was a stranger on Earth. After developing her powers, she had been revered by a public who had no idea of who she was. But as she walked into her apartment, letting her guard down, she didn’t regret who she had chosen to be. She no longer felt like an imposter on the world, but rather a guardian of Earth, and she was happy to be there.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated. Much love to all the readers who got to the end!!
> 
> Oh and this is now totally a series. I'm currently writing Raven as Wonder Woman, for anyone curious.


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